Quick quiz: what do Google, Spotify, Kodak, Verizon, and Hulu have in common? None of them meant anything before the companies made them mean something. They are invented names, coined from thin air, and they went on to become some of the most valuable brands on earth. That is not a coincidence. Here are five reasons an invented name wins.
1. It is actually available
More than 70% of common English words are already trademarked, and the good .com domains were snapped up years ago. Invent a word and you leap the entire line: the .com is open, the trademark is cleaner, and the social handles are free. That alone solves the most painful part of naming a business.
2. It is yours to define
A made-up word shows up with no baggage and no assumptions. It means whatever your brand decides it means. “Spotify” did not sound like music until it was music. That blank canvas is something most founders would kill for.
3. It is easier to protect
Distinctive, non-descriptive names are the strongest candidates for trademark registration. Generic words make weak marks; invented words make strong ones. That matters enormously the day a competitor tries to copy you.
4. It is memorable
Short, coined names with a smooth sound are easy to say, easy to spell, and easy to remember. That is free marketing every time a happy customer repeats your name to a friend.
5. It travels
No accidental meaning in another language, no confusion with the fifty other companies using the same real word. A distinctive invented name stands on its own in a crowded market and scales with you.
The catch (and the shortcut)
Inventing a great name that still sounds like a real word is hard, and pairing it with an available .com is harder. That is exactly what we do. Every name on Novanym is an invented, brandable .com, dreamed up by branding people and ready to buy today, logo included.
Browse names built to be brands, or read our complete guide to naming your business.